Talk:Clare Edwards/@comment-4979909-20111202214748/@comment-3575890-20111204051852
So because she's been hurt in the past, that somehow makes her entitled to treat others similarly? Seasons 8-9 - I agree that she was mistreated. Especially in season nine with the KC and Jenna crap. That said, I also remember her handling her problems with a lot more grace and maturity than she does now. She was stronger back then. She didn't allow a failed relationship to stop her from carrying on with her life; even though she got burned by KC the most. And instead of wallowing in self pity, the feelings of her friends was always her first priority. Whenever a friend would confide in her, she'd always respond with sympathy and kindness. Season 10 - Same as above, only she a lot more emotional. Due to that her parents were constantly fighting and on verge of divorce then however, it was a justified, natural reaction typical of any teenager. Breaking up with Eli was also justified. At the time, she had made the right decision for both herself and him, although she didn't have to treat him SO coldly prior to that. Case in point; she had her moments of selfishness, but not to the point of that she had lost sight of herself and abandoned her instilled-by-nature principles. Season 11 - In that point in time, Clare had it the easiest out of most of the cast. While Clare was busy eating Jake's face for the remainder of 11, the rest (of the majority) of the cast's lives were in chaos. Adam was shot. Eli was driven mad and on the precipice of mental collapse. Fiona relapsed. Drew took the fall for a murder he didn't commit, got the shit beaten out of him by gang members,and spent most of his time hiding in fear. Bianca was attacked in a dark alley, killed her ex in self defense, then was raped, beaten, threatened (probably on a daily basis) and forced to push drugs. Jenna was stuck raising her and KC's baby pretty much all on her own, and had no choice but to give him up. Oh yeah, and Holly J was dying. Now with the exception of Clare's entanglement in Eli's drama, in spite of that it was at more of his expense than her's, Clare's biggest problem before the mid-season finale was that she and Jake couldn't agree on movie preferences without fighting. In other words, petty, mundane relationship drama. And then finally, of all things to disarm and break her down, her world comes crashing down on the grounds of that.. her mother and Jake's father get engaged. Like, really? Clare dated Jake for like, a month and then had the nerve to act appalled by Glenn and Helen's plans to marry, when she and Jake knew damn well their parents were dating. They chose to keep dating, on the pretense of that there were no strings attached, and then suddenly out of nowhere, there supposedly were. Now yes, the divorce hit Clare pretty hard, but it undoubtedly hurt Helen MORE. It may impact Clare, but Helen is the victim of Randall's cheating. Yet Clare was too wrapped up in her own relationship - which was pretty much a doomed one from the start anyway - to even be happy for her mom. That isn't to say she didn't have reason to be upset by the news either, but she reacted with such selfishness and entitlement. As if her relationship with Jake mattered more than her mother's engagement. Yes, it was cruel of Eli to even consider dragging Clare's name through the mud, but bottom line; he didn't do it in the end. So Clare didn't actually suffer any public mortification by it. Eli on the other hand, was mentally incapacitated for the majority of this season and downright miserable before he pulled himself through. Not saying this excuses him, but really - who had it worse? Nowhere To Run - In this episode we learn that Clare has basically been moping over the entire summer. In retrospect, I suppose that'd be understandable. However, it turns out the root of all her grief is get this; not her parents' divorce, not the absence of her sister, not her father's cheating, not her former love's mental issues, not seeing her best friend get shot -- it's Jake. Of all things to mull over, all she can think about is her failed relationship with her step brother? And then the writers attempt to soften the blow of this, by forcefeeding the idea that Cake are suddenly in love, as if that somehow gives the situation more priority over the bigger problems in Clare's life, and it just falls flat anyway as we have witnessed next to no development from these two. If Clare wasn't selfish before, this episode truly exposed this newfound self serving side of her. She crashed a party she wasn't invited to (again, acting as if she were entitled to be there, when Jake was no longer her boyfriend and clearly didn't want her there), and she shunned her bestfriend for kissing Jake, who wasn't even her boyfriend at the time, only to turn around and forgive Jake of the very same act. She even considered tampering with Eli's emotions to get back at Jake which is not only a ruthless sentiment in itself, but the fact that she'd adamantly risk jeapordizing Eli's mental progress to suit her alternative agenda, is demoralizing. By the end of the episode, she has a big goofy grin on her face in spite of that she had a huge falling out with her best friend and should probably be feeling SOME form of remorse. But no, it's like all she could think about was Jake, Jake, Jake and of course, herself concerning her relationship with him. Yes, I acknowledge that Clare has been through her share of heartache, but it's difficult to take her seriously right now when she can be so melodramatic over every little thing in her life, while the lives of people around her are literally debilitating at the seams. By stark contrast, she has it pretty damn good, and yet she seems to complain about every little grievance, every little problem in her life more than any other character. She treats every problem of her's with the severity of it being the end of the world for her. Of all the characters, she handles her problems with the least amount of maturity and tact. This is why I deem her selfish. She is being self-absorbed. I'm prepared to change my mind provided she makes some changes.